Healthy Pesto Recipes

These pestos center on leafy greens, smoky red peppers, and other ingredients that complement cool-weather fare. The yields are small because they taste best when freshly made (don't worry, whipping one up is easy).

A good pesto perks up pasta, sandwiches, soup, and salad. Make your own fresh sauce with these healthy varieties, including basil, spinach, almond, and garlic-cilantro pesto.

It's easy to go green with herb-heavy pestos, but what about other colorful produce? This raw carrot and pistachio blend was an instant hit in the Whole Living test kitchen. You could also thin it with lemon juice and olive oil and use as a salad dressing.

Break your mayonnaise habit by slathering this fiery spread on sandwiches. Roasting brings out the sweetness of bell peppers, and chipotle pepper turns up the smoky-spicy quotient. Swap it for salsa the next time you make tacos, burritos, or rice and beans.

Serve this easy pesto as a sauce for pasta, fish, or chicken or as a spread on crackers. You can also use it as pizza sauce, in place of traditional red sauce. Because cilantro quickly loses its flavor and becomes harsh-tasting, use it shortly after buying.

This delightful variation on traditional pesto calls for mango, which adds moisture, so little oil is needed. It can be combined with almost any main course, especially pasta and grilled fish, or used as a dip for vegetables and chips. If you like it spicier, leave in the jalapeno seeds.